In the first hour of the Lo-Down Charles T Hamilton and Jay Marshall fill in for Damien and Jason and start the show off talking about the return of the NBA after the NBA All-Star Break, and previewed tonight’s Warriors Kings game. The guys also somehow started talking about the Fast and Furious and Point Break franchises, and if Point Break could pull off 8 sequels. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 2

In the second hour of the show the guys talked about Zion Williamson’s injury last night in Duke’s game against North Carolina, and that led to a longer discussion about the NCAA and paying college players. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 3

In the final hour of the Lo-Down Zach Harper, The Athletic, joins the show to talk to the guys about the NBA Season, what the playoffs will look like, the MVP leaders, and he joins the Point Break discussion. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

In the first hour of the Lo-Down Charles T Hamilton and Kyle Madson are filling in for Damien and Jason and start the show talking about the NBA MVP race, and what players will get the votes at the end of the season. They also talked about the North Carolina Duke game tonight, and the amount of money tickets are going for on the secondary market. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 2

In the second hour of the show Neal Coolong, Steelerswire.com, joins the show to talk some Antonio Brown, and where he will be playing next season. They also talked about what kind of deal Le’Veon Bell might get after sitting out last season. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 3

In the final hour of the Lo-Down Danny Kelly, The Ringer, joined the show to talk some NFL Draft, and what players to pay attention to. They also talked about Chris Hemsworth playing Hulk Hogan in a Biopic, and that led to talk about a controversial scene in Hulk Hogan’s movie Mr. Nanny. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

]]>Report: Raiders Nearing Deal To Stay In Oakland For At Least Another Yearhttp://khtk.com/8115/report-raiders-nearing-deal-to-stay-in-oakland-for-at-least-another-year/
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:46:34 +0000http://khtk.com/?p=8115It was questioned if the Oakland Raiders had played their last home game in Oakland when the team beat the Denver Broncos in Week 16. But, after recent reports from Phil Matier of the San Francisco Chronicle, that is no longer the case.

The Raiders and the City Of Oakland are close to a deal that would keep the team at the Oakland Coliseum for 2019 with potential to stretch into the 2020 season.

“It’s for one year for sure, with an option for the second year,” said Matier’s source.

The club would have to pay Oakland $7.5 million to stay for 2019 and if they choose to extend into 2020 the Raiders would have to pay a total of $10.5 million. The extension would only happen in the event that their stadium in Las Vegas isn’t ready.

It’s been a long off-season already for the Raiders in terms of finding a home for 2019, with rumors of San Francisco, Santa Clara, London, and San Diego. But it appears Oakland will ultimately keep their team for at least another season.

Grant kicks off the show with his thoughts on the 2 year anniversary of DeMarcus Cousins trade and how far this team has come in the last few years. Plus he asks the listeners to give their thoughts on the over turn of the roster…

Hour 2

Listeners call the show to give their own thoughts on Grant’s anniversary question …

Hour 3

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders joined Grant and Doug in hour two to talk the 2nd half preview of the NBA season. Hear Steve talk about the Western Conference playoff push, who he thinks will come out in the East and if he feels anyone can beat the Warriors.

Hour 4

More Callers chime in on the Kings second half and what can be expected these last 25 games of the season.

In the first hour of the Lo-Down Charles T Hamilton and Kyle Madson cover for Damien and Jason, and start the show talking about Manny Machado signing a contract with the San Diego Padres, and what this means for Bryce Harper. The guys also talked some NFL and try and predict where Antonio Brown will play next season. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 2

In the second hour of the show the guys discussed the All-Star Game weekend, some of the Kings that were in some of the events, and the All-Star game itself. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 3

In the final hour of the Lo-Down Charles and Kyle talk about the second half of the NBA Season, and where the Kings will finish the season. The guys also talked some more NBA, and make their predictions on what the NBA Postseason will look like. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

]]>Three Positions To Watch During A’s Spring Traininghttp://khtk.com/8083/three-positions-to-watch-during-as-spring-training/
Mon, 18 Feb 2019 20:05:36 +0000http://khtk.com/?p=8083What might be even tougher than winning 97 games like the Oakland Athletics did last season, is following it up. The A’s shocked the baseball world with that 97-win season and their one game trip to the playoffs.

As cliche as it sounds, the journey to the postseason begins at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. Plenty of spots are to be filled for Oakland and only time will tell how the team will look entering Opening Day.

Here’s the three positions to watch over the course of spring training:

Starting rotation

The 2018 A’s starting rotation was decimated by injury to a point where Oakland had to implore the “opener” strategy for the wild card game. Arms like A.J. Puk, Jharrel Cotton, and Sean Manaea were lost with Cotton and Manaea slated to miss half and most of the season respectively.

With those injuries, the A’s found plenty of depth with Edwin Jackson, Brett Anderson, and Mike Fiers. With Jackson still a free agent, the Green and Gold brought in Marco Estrada and were able to re-sign Anderson. Fiers and Estrada will likely be in the rotation but the rest of the spots could go to Anderson, Frankie Montas, Daniel Mengden, Paul Blackburn, and the list goes on. There’s no shortage of starting arms but the quality comes into question.

The big name to watch here is 21-year-old Jesus Luzardo. The A’s acquired Luzardo in a deal with the Washington Nationals that saw Sean Doolittle head to Washington. There’s expectations that Luzardo could crack the A’s opening day roster in the rotation.

Manager Bob Melvin seems to be impressed by the 21-year-old: “He knows there’s a spotlight on him. What really stands out — he’s got an upper 90s heater, but it’s his breaking stuff that kind of sets him apart in who he is right now, both changeup and breaking ball.”

Last season in the minors, Luzardo finished with a 2.88 ERA in 109.1 innings throwing 129 strikeouts to 30 walks across three levels.

Catchers

Three catchers are currently in the mix to be the A’s Opening Day starter behind the dish. Josh Phegley, Chris Herrmann, and Nick Hundley all have a chance to earn the spot over the next six weeks.

Phegley by far has the most experience with Oakland, entering his fifth season with the A’s but hasn’t amassed more than 75 games played in a season in those five years. The 31-year-old does have the advantage over Herrmann and Hundley because of his familiarity with the pitching staff. Phegley has shown struggles on the offensive side, slashing .204/.255/.344 in 102 plate appearances in 2018.

Herrmann is entering his first season with Oakland after spending a season in Seattle. The 30-year-old may sneak his way on to the Opening Day roster due to his versatility in the field. Last season, with the Mariners, Herrmann played games at first base, left field, right field, and catcher. Him playing first base could have some value to manager Bob Melvin to give Matt Olson more days off during the season.

Hundley was signed last week after spending two seasons with the San Francisco Giants. The 35-year-old has been a career backup but has more experience with pitching staffs than both Phegley and Herrmann. He saw extended playing time last season with the Giants and finished with a .241 batting average and a .706 OPS.

A fourth name to watch for the future is Sean Murphy, a third-round pick in 2016. Murphy is only 24-years-old an earned a non-roster invite this season. Murphy is expected to start and play most of the season in Triple-A Las Vegas but there’s a sense that he may be the future for the A’s catching position. The third-round pick slashed .285/.361/.489 in 306 plate appearances last season across three levels in the minor leagues.

Second base

Franklin Barreto has been up and down the A’s farm system for the past two seasons now and has been a highly-touted prospect since being acquired in 2014. Unfortunately for the 22-year-old, the numbers haven’t been great with Oakland. In 57 games the past two season, Barreto has hit .215 with an OPS of .746 in 151 total plate appearances and has been good for a -0.3 WAR.

The Athletics brought in Jurickson Profar via trade this off-season, acquiring him from the Texas Rangers. Profar in a way was like Barreto with the Rangers, a prospect that never really could put it together in the big leagues. Texas gave Profar plenty of chances but he never once batted higher than .254 in five season. The good news could be that his career-high .254 batting average came last season where he also posted a career-high .793 OPS with a career-high 20 home runs.

Profar and Barreto will be battling for the second base void left by Jed Lowrie who signed with the New York Mets this off-season. The A’s infield is relativity set with Olson at first, Marcus Semien at short and Matt Chapman at third. Second base will be the position to watch over the span of spring training.

It’s All Star weekend in the NBA and Grant and Doug have taken off for the weekend so Matt George, Chuck T Hamilton and the Producer of the show Jay Johnson hop on the show and lead the reigns for four hours. In hour one hear the boys talk NBA All Star weekend, the Kings presence in the overall weekend, who they think will win some of the competitions and how much it has changed the last 10 to 20 years.

Hour 2

The President of the Oakland A’s Dave Kaval joined the show in hour three to discuss the newest extended radio deal between Sports 1140 and the Oakland A”s among other things. Hear Dave talk about how happy the organization is to have KHTK on board and what it means to the team, how excited they are to be able to move forward with the new ball park and some great things they have on tap this upcoming year. Plus the long time radio voice of the Sacramento Kings Gary ‘GMan” Gerould hopped on the show to preview the second half of the Kings.

Hour 3

In hour three the topic of if the Kings were to make the playoffs who would you want to see the team play? Hear a few teams become the main focus on who the fellas would love to see the Kings play for just pure excitement purposes compared to who they could most likely be competitive against.

]]>Oakland Raiders Add Five Assistant Coaches To Their Staffhttp://khtk.com/8074/oakland-raiders-add-five-assistant-coaches-to-their-staff/
Fri, 15 Feb 2019 20:20:54 +0000http://khtk.com/?p=8074The Oakland Raiders announced that they have added five assistant coaches to their staff on Thursday, February 14.

The newest members in the club are the following:

Brentson Buckner (Defensive Line) – After being selected in the second round (50th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1994 NFL Draft as a defensive lineman and appearing in 174 games and making 127 starts with the Steelers (1994-1996), Bengals (1997), 49ers (1998-2000) and Panthers (2001-2006). Buckner spent the 2018 campaign on staff as the defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and served in the same capacity for five seasons (2013-2017) with the Arizona Cardinals.

Taver Johnson (Assistant Defensive Backs) – Made his NFL debut in 2004 with the Cleveland Browns as a special teams coach. He began his first stint with Ohio State in 2007, where he spent five seasons working as cornerbacks coach. Johnson served as assistant head coach/defensive coordinator for Miami (Ohio) from 2005-06.

John Morton (Senior Offensive Assistant) – He began in the personnel department with the Raiders in 1997 during his inaugural year in the NFL. Morton enters his 17th season as an NFL coach and ninth with the Raiders. He worked as an offensive quality control/ wide receivers coach for the club from 2000-2001, and as an offensive assistant and wide receivers coach the previous two years (1998-1999) as part of Head Coach Jon Gruden’s staff.

A.J. Neibel (Head Strength and Conditioning) – In his first tour with the Raiders, Neibel spent six seasons (2003-2008) as a strength and conditioning/sports medicine associate. He begins his second stint with the Raiders, after spending the previous two seasons (2017-2018) with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an athletic performance specialist/physical therapy assistant. He also spent time in MLB working with the San Francisco Giants as a strength and conditioning consultant from 2009-2010.

Kirby Wilson (Running Backs) – Began his career at Pasadena Community College as a wide receivers coach in 1985. Wilson coached running backs for the Minnesota Vikings (2014-2015), Pittsburgh Steelers (2007-2013) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-2003) with Head Coach Jon Gruden. He joins the Raiders for his 26th year coaching running back, including 21 years in the NFL.

It’s the mid season break in the NBA and Grant and DC want to know your first half season grade for the Sacramento Kings. Hear the fellas give them their own grades so far this season, explain why and what the likes and dislikes of the team are for them as well.

Hour 2

The Athletic’s Sam Amick joined the show in hour two and broke down some of the first half’s pressing, questions, including Kevin Durant’s future and his fantastic play so far the first half, how surprising the Kings have been so far this season and what he thinks of the Lakers moving forward in the second half.

Hour 3

In hour three listeners chime in all hour to give their grades on the Kings season so far…

Hour 4

Listeners continue to chime in all hour on the Kings, moving forward the second half of the season and forecast some of the young players futures in the league.

In the first hour of the Lo-Down Damien and Jason talked about last night’s Kings game against the Nuggets, and what the Kings will need to do to make the playoffs. The guys also talked about De’Aaron Fox on First Take, and Max Kellerman’s comments about him joining the Lakers. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 2

In the second hour of the show the guys some how got on to baseball cards and sports memorabilia, and then moved on to the NFL and some of the moves that have been made this offseason. They also talked about the Facebook question of the day, and asked who the athlete is that you love. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 3

In the final hour of the Lo-Down the guys talked about the NBA all-star break, and what the Kings and other teams will look like in the second half of the season. They also talked about Chris Mannix story for Yahoo Sports, and if the Pelicans should sit Anthony Davis the rest of the season. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

]]>Former Sacramento King Iman Shumpert Drops New Music Videohttp://khtk.com/8049/former-sacramento-king-iman-shumpert-drops-new-music-video/
Thu, 14 Feb 2019 18:01:40 +0000http://khtk.com/?p=8049Iman Shumpert has spent the majority of this NBA season as a member of the Sacramento Kings, being a vocal leader in the locker room and on the floor. After being traded to the Houston Rockets last week, Shumpert, who often discussed his music with fellow rapper and former teammate Marvin Bagley, dropped his new song “HaNdel Bars” this week.

In the first hour of the Lo-Down Damien and Jason talked about the reported trade of Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos, and if it actually makes them a better team. The guys also talked about the Lakers loss to the Atlanta Hawks, and if the Lakers are actually improved from last year. Next, the guys brought op the Facebook question of the day, and if you would rather be a teammate of Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 2

In the second hour of the show Chris Dempsey, Altitude Sports and Nuggets.com, joined the show to talk about the Nuggets season so far, Michael Malone coaching the Western Conference in the NBA All Star Game, and his thoughts on the Sacramento Kings this season. The guys also talked about bets that they will have to pay off coming up next month. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 3

In the final hour of the Lo-Down Sam Amick, KHTK NBA Insider/The Athletic, joins the show for their weekly talk about all things NBA. Next, Codi joins the show for Fair or Foul, and the guys debate wether Flacco makes the Broncos a better team this season. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Grant and Doug jump on the mid-week edition of the show and of course come out the box talking Kings and their last game of the first half of the season. Hear the fellas talk about how big of a game this is if they could get the win, plus the return of former Kings Isaiah Thomas back to action. Also Grant gives his opinion on the NBA TV’s Players Only broadcast and asks the listeners to chime in.

Hour 2

In the shortened second hour before the Kings take the court against the Nuggets listeners chime in to talk about the Players Only broadcast and give their opinions on the entire show.

]]>Athletics Sign Robbie Grossman To A One-Year Dealhttp://khtk.com/8019/athletics-sign-robbie-grossman-to-a-one-year-deal/
Wed, 13 Feb 2019 23:32:25 +0000http://khtk2.wpengine.com/?p=8019With position players reporting to camp on Friday, the Oakland Athletics have added some depth to their outfield.

The A’s continued their busy week by signing outfield Robbie Grossman to a one-year, major league deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

In the first hour of the Lo-Down Damien and Jason started the show talking NBA with the Sacramento Kings taking the 8th spot after the Clippers loss to the Timberwolves. They also talked about Russell Westbrook continuing his triple-double streak, and James Harden’s 30 point game streak. They finished the hour talking about Antonio Brown’s future with his agent announcing that they have requested a trade from the Steelers. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 2

In the second hour of the show the guys started talking about the front runners for the NBA MVP, and if things will change before the end of the season. They also talked about the NFL possibly not starting with the Patriots, and Damien tries to figure out how old the NFL is. They also talked about the Raiders still looking for a home, and what the newest city is to throw their hat into the ring. All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Hour 3

In the final hour of the Lo-Down Jeff Zillget, USA Today, joined the show to talk NBA, the Sacramento Kings reputation nationally, and Harden versus Westbrook. Next, Codi joins the guys to talk about Kareem Hunt signing with the Cleveland Browns, and what the NFL is going to do about domestic violence. They finished the show with their Facebook question of the day, and asked if Russell Westbrook or James Harden? All that and more on the Lo-Down exclusively on Sports 1140.

Grant flies solo on the Monday Edition of The Grant Napear Show and begins with a look at the rest of the schedule down the stretch for the Kings and the two teams they are competing with for the last spot in the playoffs. Also hear Grant talk about the Kings home stand and win over the Suns including how good Marvin Bafley Jr played!

Hour 2

Shaun Powell, senior writer at NBA.Com jumps on the show in hour two to talk the latest news and notes around the league. Listen as Shaun talks about what he thinks the Lakers will do down the stretch and why he believes they will make the playoffs based on Lebron’s play only. Why he feels Giannis Antetokounmpo should be the MVP rather then everyone else saying James Harden.

Hour 3

The great Jerry Reynolds jumps on the show to talk the Kings home stand and the team going 5-1. Jerry discusses Marvin Bagley and his great game last night vs the Suns, how he was impressed how the Kings finished the Miami game on Friday and how good it was to be back on the television broadcast. Grant then fields tons of phone calls about the Kings and DeMarcus Cousins.

Hour 4

In hour four Grant continues taking a ton of phone calls on all Kings topics and his thoughts on when the organization changed for the better after the trade of DeMarcus Cousins 2 years ago.

]]>Sacramento Republic FC Open Preseason with 5-0 Winhttp://khtk.com/7699/sacramento-republic-fc-open-preseason-5-0-win/
Mon, 11 Feb 2019 08:00:00 +0000http://khtk2.wpengine.com/7699/sacramento-republic-fc-open-preseason-5-0-win/The Sacramento Republic FC look to get back to the playoffs and avenge back-to-back early exits at the hands of Swope Park this 2019 season, and they showed off their offensive firepower in a 5-0 win against Sacramento Gold on Saturday night to open up the preseason.

Last year’s leading goal scorer, Cameron Iwasa, opened the scoring with a goal in the 11th minute, off a beautiful assist from Villyan Bijev. Despite scoring early, the Republic were unable to find the back of the net again until the second half, when Stefano Bonomo connected with a strike in the 68th minute. From there the floodgates were opened, with Quincy Butler, Hayden Partain and Tyler Blackwood all scoring before the final whistle.

Amidst the chaos of the trade deadline and the coming and going of some of the best teams in the NBA, the Sacramento Kings wrapped up a very successful homestand with a comfortable 117-104 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, finishing the stretch 5-1. Now with 30 wins on the season, the Kings are four games over .500 for the first time since early in the 2014-2015 season, and turn their attentions to a tough four-game road trip and the All-Star break.

“Good win. Great homestand. To go five and one on this homestand is terrific,” said head coach Dave Joerger, “One guy I just mentioned in the locker room; I thought Willie Cauley-Stein had a terrific week”.

Cauley-Stein was a brick wall for Sacramento tonight, collecting five blocks in 27 minutes. He has a combined eight blocks over his last two games, including three crucial blocks in the fourth quarter against Miami Friday to help the Kings complete the comeback win.

“We in a race. Our goal is to be in the playoffs…one game at a time…” said Cauley-Stein.

Marvin Bagley put on a show in his first regular season meeting with number one overall pick De’Andre Ayton, scoring a career high 32 points in 32 minutes off the bench. The last rookie to score 30 points or more for Sacramento was Skal Labissiere, who also put up 32 on Phoenix on March 15th, 2017.

“I try to match him up intentionally,” said Joerger, “He continues to improve, watches a lot of film, and works hard at it…”.

After the win Bagley said, “I love playing against the Suns. I don’t know what it is. I treat every game the same but I love playing against De’Andre”.

After the Lakers loss in Philadelphia earlier today, Sacramento is now two games above the Lakers in 9th place, just a half game behind the Clippers for the 8th and final seed in the West.

Coach Joerger was asked to speak on the accomplishment of his team, reaching 30 wins in mid-February; “Our team really cares. They care about the goal. They care about each other. Maybe there’s a little pressure, certainly from outside, but from within…Really really proud of our guys. They have put the work in, not just the players but our organization…”.

Sacramento opens up this road trip in Denver against the Nuggets on Wednesday before over a week off for the All-Star break. De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley will all partake in the All-Star festivities in Charlotte.